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Lot Essay
This Qur’an includes an unusually long colophon which provides a valuable insight into the scribe’s careful process in copying the text. The scribe’s name is given as al-khattat (calligrapher) Mahmud bin Abdu’l-Wali al-Defteri, formerly a treasurer in the Divan al-‘Ali. Defteri, wrote this Qur’an in 1591-92 during the reign of Sultan Murad III (r.1574-95).
In this manuscript, he goes into great detail on how he prepared his pens in order to write. Upon completion of a previous Qur’an and realising that the pen had not been damaged, he was eager to start writing this Qur’an with the same pen. However, circumstances compelled him to stop writing when he arrived at sura Yusuf, so he stored the pen in a pen-box. He commenced again in the month of Muharram of the year AH 1000 with the same pen, and completed the Qur’an on the 15th of Safar of that year. He concludes by stating that he was able to write two Qur’ans with the same pen preceded by three Qur’ans each of which he wrote with one pen. The care with which our scribe approached his tools is clearly reflected in the masterfully executed, neat naskh in this manuscript.
In this manuscript, he goes into great detail on how he prepared his pens in order to write. Upon completion of a previous Qur’an and realising that the pen had not been damaged, he was eager to start writing this Qur’an with the same pen. However, circumstances compelled him to stop writing when he arrived at sura Yusuf, so he stored the pen in a pen-box. He commenced again in the month of Muharram of the year AH 1000 with the same pen, and completed the Qur’an on the 15th of Safar of that year. He concludes by stating that he was able to write two Qur’ans with the same pen preceded by three Qur’ans each of which he wrote with one pen. The care with which our scribe approached his tools is clearly reflected in the masterfully executed, neat naskh in this manuscript.